Environmental Medicine

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Environmental Medicine

• David J. Brancato
• ND, PhD, CQM, CHHP, DIAM, CNC, CI, CPT, RPIH
• Certification/Boards of Affiliation
• ANCB, ANMA, AAQM, AADP, AANC, IIPA, APIH, NFPT

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Environmental Medicine

• Ones sensitization to their environment
• Exposure does not lead to consistent symptoms
• Randomization of symptoms can confuse the
  practitioner
• Drug prescription can add to the problem

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The Cause of Disease

• Genetic
• Psychogenesis
• Environmental
• Nutrient Deficiency

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Food Induced Disease

• Arthritis
• Stay away from vegetables in Nightshade category
• Prescribe NSAIDs lead to LGS
• Celiac Disease
• Wheat intolerance
• MSG
• Retinal degeneration
• Milk induced hypochlorhydria
• Leads to nutrient deficiency

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Food Toxins
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Illness Induced by Chemicals

• Plasticizers TMA (trimellitic anhydride)complex
  antigens
• Dry Cleaning FluidsCVS
• Solvents..panic disorders
• Hydrocarbons...glomerulonephritis
• Formaldehyde..fatigue-cancer
• Pesticides..brain fog (loss concentration, poor
  memory, irritability, depression)

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Chemicals Everywhere

• Chemical exposure is ubiquitous and ever
  increasing
• Sources other than work and environment
• Bedroom Fabric softeners, flame retardants, dry
  cleaning chemicals
• Bathroom chlorine, cosmetics, shampoos,
  toothpaste, hair products, colognes, and the like
• Kitchen pesticides, hormones, antibiotics,
  cookware, plastics, petroleum residues, trans
  fats, flavorings, sweeteners

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Heavy metals
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Every Day Exposures
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Every Day Exposures
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Every Day Exposures
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Chemical Illness

• Free Radicals
• Phase I detoxification
• Highly reactive and destructive
• Will rip the electron from anything in its
  pathcell enzymes and cell membrane
• Membranes attacked
• Dictates what goes on in the cell
• Regulate calcium channels
• Regulate sodium pump
• Provide access to genetic material
• Where endoplasmic reticulum exists

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Chemical Sensitivity

• Information
• does not alert the practitioner
• live with chronic conditions
• Frustrated
• symptoms are compounded by other symptoms
• Sick Building Syndrome
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Work efficiency plummets

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Suspicion

• WHY IS EVERYONE NOT AFFECTED EQUALLY?
• Depends On
• Genetics
• Sensitization
• How much of what?

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Unexpected Death

• The body is equipped with detox mechanisms
• The detox mechanisms do fail
• Upon failure disease occurs
• Drugs can contribute to failure
• Proteins and enzymes break down
• Leads to tissue death
• Leads to over all death

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7 Principles of Environ Medicine

• 1. Biochemical individuality
• 2. Total load
• 3. Spreading phenomenon
• 4. Adaptation
• 5. De-adaptation
• 6. Bi-polarity
• 7. Switch phenomenon

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Total Load

• Conjugates (sulfur containing compounds that
  facilitate removal of xenobiotics)
• Genetic predisposition
• e.g. brown eyed individuals are mineral deficient
• In turn enzymes are not functional in purported
  activity

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3rd Principle

• Spreading phenomenon
• Patients are reactive to xenobiotics that never
  before bothered them.
• Doctors unfamiliar with chemistry of
  detoxification begin
• To doubt patient motives
• Sanity of the individual
• The allopathic paradigm
• Suppress symptoms with drugs
• Chronic use of drugs no longer effective
• Recommend surgery

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4th Principle

• ADAPTATION
• Chronic Disease
• The sick get sicker
• Body mechanism
• More loadmore need of enzymes
• Enzyme induction
• Non-sedative antihistamines
• Enzyme induction leads to neoplasm

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5th Principle

• De-Adaptation
• Phenol exposure
• Preservative in medicines
• Found in home office furnishing and cleaners
• Picked up readily by the body
• Overwhelms enzyme network for removal
• Shifted to other pathways where not completely
  metabolized

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6th Principle

• Bipolarity
• Same agent can cause opposite effects
• e.g. alcohol
• Initially it is stimulatory
• Once the aldehyde is produced it causes the body
  to become depressed
• Outcome depends on
• Dose
• Time frame
• Adaptive enzymes

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7th Principle

• Switch Phenomenon
• Target organ switches from one to another
• e.g. asthmatic person with cardiac abnormalities,
  or IBS
• One disease is active while the other is
  quiescent and visa versa
• Secondary importance are the symptoms
• Primary importance is to find cause

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Drug Complications

• Environmental Medicine
• Drugs contribute to symptoms
• Cumulative biochemical effect
• Cause nutrient deficiencies
• Diuretics cause hypokalemia and magnesium
  deficiency
• Both deficiencies lead to hypertension
• Mg deficiency leads to lipidemia and reduction of
  delta-6-desaturase
• D-6D is crucial in fatty acid metabolism damage
  endoplasmic reticulum where detoxification takes
  place
• Spreading Phenomenon

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Complications

• What about hobbies, chemical applications in the
  home, exposures during traffic, etc.?
• Needless to say a plethora of minutia needs to be
  sifted through if one is to uncover the cause
• Uncover the cause
• Reverse the symptoms

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Physical Signs

• Common findings not reported
• White fury tongue
• Dark spots under the eyes
• White, splitting nails
• Swelling
• Skin temperature
• Tooth loss, amalgams, mixed oral metals
• Body odor
• Abnormal eye movements
• Poor focusing, memory
• Inability to stand on one leg or tip toes with
  eyes closed (common malfunction due to pesticide
  exposure).

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Reversal

• Bowel studies are necessary
• Rule out unsuspected inflammation
• Malabsorption with insufficient break down of
  protein
• Abnormal flora
• Insufficient beneficial flora
• Bowel flora play role in metabolizing vitamins,
  drugs, hormones, carcinogens, and xenobiotics.

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Patient Education

• Through knowledge we are now able to recommend
• Remove smelly plastic mattress covers
• Foam pillows
• Water beds
• Air cleaners with particle board cabinets
• Furnishings that out-gas phenol and formaldehyde

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Physician Awareness

• Minimize the use of drugs to treat symptoms
• e.g. use of NSAIDs for osteoarthritis
• Can actually lead to rheumatoid conditions
• Arthritics are to abstain from red meat and
  vegetables in nightshade category
• Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, chili,
  paprika
• Also, abstain from tobacco

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Physician Awareness

• Common causes of fatigue and depressioneating
  foods under the ferment category
• Bread, cheese, vinegar, catsup, mustard,
  mayonnaise, salad dressing, alcohol, chocolate,
  anything aged, pickled, or fermented

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New Medical paradigm

• Include environmental toxins
• Correct the cause rather than the symptom
• Remove food intolerances
• Laboratory analysis of the bowel and
  intracellular Zn, Se, Mo, Cr, Mn, K, Cu, and
  folate
• Recalcitrant conditions may be from amino acid
  deficiency